SCHENECTADY — Judith Jenkins Young, who enjoyed the adventure of travel and the pleasure of teaching struggling students to read, died peacefully on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. She was 80.

In the same way the state is trying to make up for federal-government shortfalls, we believe local government has an important role to play, too.

GUILDERLAND — “On Dec. 15, 1940, Roc’sanna Tresa (née Martelli) Rivers was born in Schenectady, New York to the late Rocco and Mildred Martelli,” wrote Mrs. Rivers’s family in a tribute. “And so began a 78-year-long story of a strong, fiercely stubborn, mischievous, humorous, and all-around marvelous woman.

About 20 residents had gathered at the town hall Monday night for an expected vote by the Industrial Development Agency on the request by Pyramid Management, owner of Crossgates Mall, for two kinds of tax exemptions. The vote was postponed.

One apartment is “uninhabitable,” firefighters say, and residents of three others were being moved to temporary accommodations.

The local board must stand its ground in assessing what is best for the community it serves.

GUILDERLAND —  The Guilderland School District plans to remediate radon in the areas of its high school where recent readings were over state and federal safety levels. The odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas occurs naturally and, in high concentrations over a period of time, can cause lung cancer.

For two years, Samantha Dell-Acqua has studied theater and film technology through the Career and Technical Education program. She is interested in every aspect of theater, she said, but her first love is acting.

GUILDERLAND — Patricia Ann (née Toolan) Donohue died peacefully at home on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, surrounded by loving family members. “Her passing marked the conclusion of a rich life, highlighted by her deep faith and love for family,” her family wrote in a tribute.